Sara Bareilles: 'The Sing-Off inspires me to write music'

The Sing-Off judge Sara Bareilles has said that judging on the NBC a cappella competition "inspires" her to write music.

The singer-songwriter joined Shawn Stockman and Ben Folds on the judging panel for the third season, which airs its live finale on Monday, November 28 at 8/7c on NBC.

Speaking to reporters on a recent conference call, she said: "One of the greatest compliments that I can pay this show and competitors is that I come home from work and I feel inspired to write music."

Bareilles went on to say that she has experienced a "creative spurt" by being part of the show, explaining: "That comes only when you're sort of a witness to something that's really unique and really special."

She added: "There's so much optimism and so much creativity and so much sheer energy it is inspiring and it makes me want to tap into that again in my own career and just in my own kind of psyche to go back to that place where things felt just really fresh and new."

As for any advice she would give the groups to ensure their success beyond the competition. she suggested the most important thing is to be authentic.

"I think it's all about finding your authentic self and really nurturing that," she said. "I think a lot of people get really distracted by what's already out there in the music world and I think they want to try to fit into a mold that already exists and I think that it's most important to kind of establish yourself.

Bareilles added: "What makes you unique is just who you are naturally, and I think these groups are a really great example of that. They're so eclectic and so diverse."